Delicious Sopa De Lentejas with Plantains (Lentil Soup)

Lenteja or Lentil soup is the perfect comfort food and a staple in many Latin American countries, and almost every country has its variation.

This delicious sopa de lentejas recipe is easy to make and a great way to incorporate high protein content into your meal prep or family’s weekday dinner plan.

This particular recipe is my own version of lentil soup. It’s made with vegetable broth, so it is vegan, but you can easily swap the vegetable broth with chicken stock for a delicious chicken broth with lentejas.

Olga’s Notes

I like to soak lentils in purified water to reduce cooking time and lectins. This tradition goes back to my parents’ and my grandparents’ eras. No need to soak overnight, because lentils cook rather quickly compared to black or pinto beans.

Just soak them while prepping, peeling, and cooking the plantain, tomato, and green onions.

My parents always made beans from scratch and soaked them overnight before cooking them the next day. It works because as the beans soak, they absorb the water and soften.

Equipment You’ll Need

This recipe is simple, nourishing, and perfect on rainy days, so unless you can make it rain, here’s a simple list of equipment you’ll need.

1. 6-quart Stockpot or Ceramic Stockpot
2. 1 Saucepan
3. Wooden Cutting Board
4. Chef Knife or Paring Knife
5. Microplane (optional for garlic; you can also finely dice or crush)

For the crispy plantain topping, you’ll need a grater.

Ingredients and Substitutions For Vegan Lentil Soup

1. Dried Lentils (dried green lentils are the most common, but you can use brown lentils or red lentils instead)
2. Plantain is starchy, so it’s perfect for thickening the broth.
3. Avocado Oil
4. Green Onion
5. Ground Cumin
6. Ground Coriander
7. Freeze Dried Oregano (or fresh oregano)
8. Onion Salt
9. Bay Leaf
10. Salt
11. Canned Diced Tomatoes
12. Fresh Garlic Clove
13. Vegetable Stock or Vegetable Broth – you can substitute this with chicken broth or chicken stock.
14. ​Water – purified
15. Fresh Cilantro

Plantain and Green Onion Crispy Crumble (Optional)

1. Green Plantain
2. Green Onion
3. Fresh Lime Juice
4. Onion Salt
5. Avocado Oil

Note: If you’ve decided to make the crumble, I highly recommend it because it’s so delicious. You’ll need a grater and a bowl of water.

Different Variations of Lentil Recipes

I don’t cover every variation here, but I highlight some of my favorites. Lentejas are popular is so many corners of the world! And it’s interesting to see the influences.

Colombian Lentejas Soup

This recipe is closer to Colombian lentejas and returns to my Colombian roots, with cumin, plantains, and garlic. I didn’t add potatoes to this recipe, but you’ll usually find potatoes in sopa de lentejas in Colombia.

Mexican Lentil Soup

You’ll find small pieces of Mexican chorizo in authentic Mexican recipes, which adds a spicy and savory depth, plus Roma tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, lime, and veggies.

Spanish

In Spain, lentil soup is made with delicious Spanish chorizo, serrano ham or jamón, bay leaves, garlic, vegetables, and paprika.

Lentejas in Argentina

They add chorizo or morcilla (blood sausage) to the recipe in Argentina. They also add vegetables, red wine, pork or beef.

Cuban

In a traditional Cuban lentils recipe or potaje de lentejas, you may find ham hock, spanish chorizo, and smoked ham, 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep

• Clean, rinse, and cut the green onions.
• Dice the green plantains and green onions.
• Soak the lentils in filtered water.

Step 1

In the pot, sauté the plantains on medium-high heat for a minute or two to get a nice caramelized color. Add the chopped green onions and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Then add the spices, salt, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves and reduce the heat. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2

First, pour in the vegetable broth and water and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add the lentils to the pot. Lower the heat to medium-low, making sure it doesn’t boil too vigorously.

Note: If the lentils are boiled too much, they may break apart and become mushy.

Step 3

Then, finely grate the garlic using a microplane. Add it to the lentils and stir. Next, cover the pot and reduce the heat slightly. Test the lentils and plantains for doneness. You want the liquid to be slightly thickened.

Step 4

Remove from the heat once the lentils and plantains are soft and the liquid has thickened.

You can just serve it in a shallow bowl with your favorite protein, or side.

Crispy Topping and Garnish (optional)

• Shred a green plantain and soak for a minute or two. Rinse and clean green onions, and cut into pieces an inch long. Then, slice into strips. Drain the green plantain shreds, place them in a paper towel, and squeeze the water out. Then mix the green onions and plantain shreds with onion salt and lime juice.
• Preheat a saucepan on medium-high heat, then add avocado oil. Add the plantain mix once the pan is hot, and saute until it caramelizes and gets crispy! And top the lentejas with the crispy mix. Then clean and rinse fresh cilantro, chop it, add it to your warm lentils, and enjoy!

Storage and Reheating

Storage

Store leftovers in a glass container for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that if you’ve made this recipe with chicken broth or stock, store for up to 2 days.

Reheating

Reheat in a saucepan on medium heat for 5 minutes, or until it’s fully reheated.

What Can I Serve With Lentejas?

Lentejas are so good with so many different sides, but going with a traditional Latin dish, pair these lentils with cilantro lime rice for the perfect arroz con lentejas and a side of tostones or patacones con hogao here are some other ideas:

1. Crusty Warm Bread
2. Fresh Veggies
3. Carne Asada
4. Chuck Roast
5. Costillas – try these no marinate costillas